Little is known about the origins of Chris Vantage, other than that at some point in his life, possibly even at birth, he was branded an outcast of society. Taking on the guise of the Shrew, Vantage went to live with a group of other outcasts that are dubbed the "Underground Freaks".
The Shrew first encountered Officer Dragon when he was mentally-enslaved by one of the Wicked Worm's that comprise the body of the villain Horde. The super-freak was sent on a killing spree to draw the attention of Dragon in order to gauge his abilities. Dragon brought down the Shrew after a number of weeks, but the presence of the leech-like creature cleared his name.
As Chris went to return to his tribe, the brand new vigilante Mace ambushed him and delivered a serious beating to him, leaving the Shrew being placed in hospital. Months later, the Shrew and his fellow Underground Freaks failed in preventing the rampage of the Dragon while he was the latest victim of the leech creature. Shrew continued to aid his friends in thwarting various threats, which led to his position as a government agent.
When Dragon was recruiting for his new Special Operations Strikeforce team, the Shrew was one of the freaks nominated by Rock for being a valuable addition. The Shrew has been a member of the Washington branch of the team ever since.
The Shrew became a normal human in the wake of the Nega-Bomb explosion caused by DarkLord II and the Covenant of the Sword.